Portraits are an incredible way to capture the essence of a person. They can tell a story, convey emotions, and immortalize memories. It’s no surprise that portrait photography has been around for over a century, and it’s still as popular as ever. In this blog post, I’ll explain how I make a great portrait.

Understand your subject

Whether you’re photographing a child or an adult, it’s important to know what makes them unique. Spend some time talking with them, asking questions, and getting to know their personality. This will help you capture their true essence in the photograph.

Lighting

The right lighting can make all the difference in creating a beautiful, memorable portrait. Natural light is great for outdoor portraits, but it can be difficult to control. Studio lighting provides more control, allowing you to create the perfect atmosphere for your subject. I often combine these two types of lighting to create the best of both worlds.

Posing

While it’s important to photograph your subject in a natural way, posing can help create a more polished look. You can experiment with different poses to find the right one that complements your subject. I try to shoot many different poses as the subject is comfortable with, while trying to capture that perfect expression.

Composition

I pay attention to the background, as it can make or break a photograph. A cluttered or distracting background can take away from the subject, while a simple, unobtrusive background can help draw attention to the subject. A large aperture helps blur the background, while keeping the subject in focus, and adding emphasis.

Equipment

A good camera and lens are essential for portrait photography. A full frame camera is ideal, as the sensor is large and it allows greater flexibility in a variety of lighting conditions. A lens with a 2.8 aperture is also helpful, as it allows you to create a shallow depth of field, isolating the subject from the background. The key is the distance of the subject from the background. More distance provides more blur.

Relaxed atmosphere

This can be achieved by creating a positive, open and confident tone. Act happy. Tell jokes. Give positive feedback even if you may feel frustrated. The key to avoid being frustrated is to prepare ahead of time. If you are relaxed, the subject will be relaxed. A relaxed subject is more likely to feel natural in front of the camera, resulting in better portraits.

Below is a collection of some of my best portraits. Lot’s of family, neighbors, babies, and teens, but most of all… smiles.